Program Overview

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English Department Programs

The English Department offers a variety of programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

Undergraduate Programs

English Major/Minor

• Major Requirements [BA/BS]
• Minor Requirements

Creative Writing Major

Overview

In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, the Creative Writing major will meet the following requirements for the BFA degree.

Requirements for the BFA in Creative Writing

In addition to meeting university B.A. degree requirements, the Creative Writing major must meet the following requirements for the BFA degree:

• Literature Courses
• Writing Courses
• Fine Art Electives
• English Electives
• Writing Electives
• Graduation Requirement (Senior Portfolio)

Total Credits

Total credits required for the BFA in Creative Writing: 74

Required Writing Courses (12 credits)

• Wr 212 Introductory Fiction Writing (4)
• Wr 213 Introductory Poetry Writing (4)
• Wr 214 Introductory Nonfiction Writing (4)

Writing Electives (32 credits)

• 16 credits in Creative Writing, at least 8 of which must be at the 400-level
• 16 credits of additional upper-division WR courses, 8 of which must be 400-level
• Courses include:
  • Wr 312 Intermediate Fiction Writing (4)
  • Wr 313 Intermediate Poetry Writing (4)
  • Wr 314 Intermediate Nonfiction Writing (4)
  • Wr 328 Media Editing (4)
  • Wr 399 Special Studies (1-5)
  • Wr 407 Writing Seminar (1-6)
  • Wr 412 Advanced Fiction Writing (4)
  • Wr 413 Advanced Poetry Writing (4)
  • Wr 428 Advanced Media Writing (4)
  • Wr 456 Forms of Nonfiction (4)
  • Wr 457 Personal Essay Writing (4)
  • Wr 458 Magazine Writing (4)
  • Wr 459 Memoir Writing (4)

Historical Literacy (8 credits)

• Take two courses from the following list:
  • Eng 301U Topics in Shakespearean Genre (4)
  • Eng 320U The English Novel I (4)
  • Eng 340U Medieval Literature (4)
  • Eng 341U Renaissance Literature (4)
  • Eng 342U Eighteenth-Century Literature (4)
  • Eng 343U Romanticism (4)
  • Eng 351 African American Literature (4)
  • Eng 360U American Literature and Culture I (4)
  • Eng 416 History of Rhetoric (4)
  • Eng 426 Advanced Topics in Medieval Literature (4)
  • Eng 441 Advanced Topics in Renaissance Literature (4)
  • Eng 450 Advanced Topics in Eighteenth-Century Literature (4)
  • Eng 458 Advanced Topics in Romanticism (4)
  • Eng 460 Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1800 (4)
  • Eng 491 History of Literary Criticism and Theory I (4)

Culture, Difference, and Representation (4 credits)

• Take one course from the following list:
  • Eng 326 Literature, Community, and Difference (4)
  • Eng 327 Culture, Imperialism, and Globalization (4)
  • Eng 428 Canons and Canonicity (4)

English Electives (12 credits)

• 12 upper division Eng credits
• With adviser approval, one upper-division WLL literature course may be applied to this requirement

Fine Arts Electives (6 credits)

• Two courses in arts appreciation, theory, or performance (8 credits)
• This requirement is fulfilled through courses in the College of the Arts prefixed Arch, ArH, Art, Des, FILM, Mus, and TA

Graduation Requirement: The Senior Portfolio

• The Senior Portfolio is submitted for approval by the end of the third week of the term in which students intend to graduate
• The portfolio showcases the clean revised copy of the student's creative writing and should contain:
  1. A statement of artistic intent (6 to 10 pages)
  2. A writing sample, which may include fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry (25 to 40 pages)

Graduate Programs

MA in English

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MFA in Creative Writing

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MA/MS in Book Publishing

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MA/MS in Professional and Technical Writing

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